Incident Overview
A pilot reported that upon arrival in the vicinity of the airport, the windsock indicated southeasterly winds at 15 to 20 knots. Additionally, light to moderate turbulence was encountered in the traffic pattern. In response, the crew elected to fly a slightly faster than normal approach at 85 knots with 37.5 degrees of flaps.
Occurrence
During the flare, wind shear was encountered, which caused a decrease in airspeed and an excessive rate of descent. Power was added, but the aircraft landed hard in a wings-level attitude.
Contributing Factors
No contributing factors were explicitly stated in the source. The incident was attributed solely to the wind shear encountered during the flare.
Conclusion
The hard landing resulted from a loss of airspeed and increased descent rate due to wind shear during the flare, despite the pilot's efforts to add power.